I read an article this week that I haven't been able to stop thinking about.

It's called "3 Mirages of Productivity" by Marios Georgiou, and the subtitle hits hard: "The nonsense we tell ourselves while not doing the thing."

He names three traps we fall into when we want to feel productive without actually producing anything:

Mirage One: Systems Chasing the perfect app, the perfect workflow, the perfect Notion setup. Believing that once you find the right system, everything will finally click. Meanwhile... the actual work sits untouched.

Mirage Two: Flexibility Constantly adjusting your approach. "I'm not inspired today." "Maybe I need a different method." Tweaking the plan over and over as a way to avoid the discomfort of actually starting.

Mirage Three: Organization Color-coded folders. Beautifully organized files. A workspace that looks like it belongs on a productivity YouTube channel. And then... nothing gets created. As Marios puts it: "Organisation and efficiencies are multipliers, not the thing being multiplied, so nothing times three is still nothing."

He calls this whole pattern "productivity cosplay." Looking the part without doing the work.

So here's my question for you:

Which one of these is your go-to?

Which mirage do you hide behind most often?

Is it the endless search for the right system?

The constant tweaking and adjusting?

The organizing and reorganizing that feels productive but doesn't actually move anything forward?

Or maybe it's all three at different times?

No judgment here. I've done all of them. But there's something powerful about just naming it. Catching yourself in the act.

Marios's antidote is simple: Do the thing. Create an outcome first, even if it's messy. Then review it. Then do it again.

Action first. Optimization later.

If you want to read the full article (it's short and worth your time):

​Read "3 Mirages of Productivity" by Marios Georgiou​

And if you're reading this thinking, "Yeah, I know which one I do... but knowing hasn't been enough to change it"...

Maybe it's time to stop going it alone.

My 5-Minute Creative Momentum Habit coaching program is a simple daily check-in system I created to help you cut through the noise, prioritize what actually matters, and stay accountable to doing the work. Not overthinking. Not over-preparing. Not over-organizing. Doing.

It's $99/month and takes about 5 minutes a day.

If you're curious whether it's a fit, go to the link above to learn more and book a free 30-minute Discovery Session.

— Coach Jeff 🤘

Coach Jeff Creative Momentum Coach I help creators and entrepreneurs bring their biggest ideas to life and reach their next level of creative success.